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USE IT OR LOSE IT AT ANY AGE

EVEN into their 90s, men and women who exercise regularly enjoy a better quality of life than
those who take it easy in their golden years.

In fact, an active 90-year-old may have the sprightly body of a 75-year-old, according to
research by the American College of Sports Medicine.

In a study of nearly 7,200 men and women aged 60 to 94, researchers found that regular
moderate exercise - from gardening to walking to exercise classes - improved an individual's
ability to function in daily life.

When investigators from California State University, Fullerton, tested their study subjects' strength, endurance, flexibility and balance, they found that the best scores were among regular exercisers of ages. And the difference between the active and inactive grew more renounced with age. Among inactive men in their 90s, 54 per cent Showed low functioning levels compared with just 14 per cent of active men.

Among women in their 90s, 68 per cent of inactive subjects had poor functioning compared with
44 per cent of active women. Exercise remained important even when chronic diseases were
factored in.

"No matter what your age, you can Improve your functioning," study author Dr. Jessie Jones said. Jones, who directs the University's Lifespan Wellness Clinic, added that in the past, there has been an attitude among health professionals that the frail should not exercise. But that is changing."

As reported in Business Line News Service